{"id":3146,"date":"2023-05-02T16:10:56","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T20:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2023-05-04T11:08:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T15:08:43","slug":"telephone-town-hall-pef-continues-push-for-social-worker-pay-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-41-no-4\/telephone-town-hall-pef-continues-push-for-social-worker-pay-equity\/","title":{"rendered":"Telephone Town Hall: PEF continues push for social worker pay equity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Social<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

May 3, 2023 —<\/em> During a telephone town hall on April 27, 2023, PEF President Wayne Spence and Vice President Randi DiAntonio delivered updates on PEF\u2019s strategy to obtain pay equity and improve the working conditions of PEF social workers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The member-driven advocacy stems from conversations that PEF leaders had last year with social workers during the Statewide Officers Tour. Many detailed their frustration with the pay equity scale, as well as chronic understaffing, especially after the past few years during the pandemic. These issues are not new, but have escalated since the field has become unattractive over the years as mental health issues magnify, and as workers leave their positions or take up more lucrative telehealth jobs in the private sector.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"SocialPEF conducted a survey of all social workers earlier this year and is now discussing the resulting analysis, \u201c<\/span>High stress, low pay impact State-employed social workers<\/span><\/a>,\u201d with stakeholders.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Vice President DiAntonio told members who dialed in to the Town Hall that PEF met with the Office of Mental Health (OMH) to discuss the survey findings on February 1, 2023. OMH shared that there are approximately 230 vacant social worker jobs at the agency. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere seemed to be consensus at that time that there was a sense of urgency that required them to act,\u201d DiAntonio said. \u201cThey indicated a willingness to review our survey results.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After sharing the findings with partners like the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), PEF members also attended a Lobby Day on February 14, 2023, to make sure legislators knew exactly what social workers do for the state. Likewise, during National Social Work Month, there was a robust social media and letter writing campaign, with 750 social workers sending letters urging legislators to act.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

OMH and PEF also discussed the findings at a scheduled labor management meeting on April 12, and Spence, DiAntonio, and PEF staff met with the Division of Budget on March 20.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Division of Budget is often the final determinator if these things go through,\u201d DiAntonio said. \u201cWe wanted to meet with them first to give them advance notice that this is something that was critically important to us.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some time in late March, PEF learned that OMH submitted a social worker reallocation proposal to Civil Service. PEF members heard about this and were concerned about certain aspects of the proposal. It was rumored that OMH met with social worker directors and detailed an increase for \u201csome positions\u201d but not others. PEF leaders were caught off guard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of us in leadership positions reached out to the agency to ask for clarification,\u201d DiAntonio said. \u201cTo ask them to send whatever was put forward, to confirm that they sent a plan, and provide us with specifics.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PEF did not hear back about the proposal until after the April 12 Labor-Management meeting.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Given the number of emails PEF leaders received, President Spence immediately reached out to OMH, the Commissioner of Civil Service and staff at the Governor\u2019s Office to discuss the plan, but it now appears the proposal has been withdrawn.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we called and the Governor\u2019s Office decided to take a look at the plan, apparently it did not meet whatever criteria the governor had in mind,\u201d said Spence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the issues with the proposal being sent forward without PEF\u2019s involvement, the April 12 labor management meeting continued. PEF attended the meeting with the following objectives in mind:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n